The present invention is directed to an apparatus for automatic insertion and alignment of freight or cargo units, such as pallets or containers, in mobile cargo compartments, with conveyor paths including storage locations for the freight units with latching elements projecting from such locations. The latching elements engage into guide elements on the freight units for the insertion and arresting or locking the freight units in place.
When transporting freight units, such as pallets or containers in mobile cargo compartments, it is important to rapidly load and unload the transport means utilized. This is particularly significant in cases where long loading and unloading times immobilize expensive transport means, such as transport airplanes. The loading and unloading of mobile cargo containers, however, frequently leads to overloading the freight or cargo containers, whereby the freight units deform at corners or edges due to overloads, especially in the case of pallets. Such deformations are frequently the cause of disruptions, since the edges or corners or guide elements of the freight units are not engaged by the latching elements of in the cargo compartments in the manner intended.
To avoid this problem, in the past, a forced guiding or pressing down of the deformed freight units using rigid guide rails directed obliquely downwards has been used. Such guide rails, however, are effective only where pallets are transported. Since containers have grooves different from the retaining means of pallets, the transportation in common of pallets and containers is impossible because of the guide rail required for the guiding operation.